How to start application development on SAP platforms

To get an SAP system where someone could evaluate possibility of SAP platforms, to try new ideas or just simply to play with it is quite difficult to have. It is one of main obstacles and real pain point for new developers or start-up companies that would like to start with development for SAP. Even with possibilities like cloud computing this stays an issue. Within the year 2013 we have seen some things coming from SAP which may to improve the current status quo.

First of all instead of offering trial version of SAP system as downloadable software (like it was miniSAP in past) there is a push of the software to the cloud. In the cloud developers can try out the software without need to install it. This also contributes to the simplification of whole process.

However or luckily few of offerings are still on-promise basis. By this developers can save on cloud provider fees. I personally hope that this will remain for long time. I know a lot of developers which do not have money to use cloud based offerings. Providing only cloud based solution only SAP would close their software for such a people e.g. students.

FOR DEVELOPERS:

Currently there are following SAP offerings for developers. Here I recognize between cloud and on premise offerings:

On premise:

ABAP based SAP NetWeaver:

SAP NetWeaver ABAP Trial 7.02 SP11 Win 64 bit Version, 3.387 GB

SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP 7.03 SP04 64-bit Trial, 3.912 GB

All of them downloadable via ABAP subspace at Developer center on SCN: http://scn.sap.com/community/developer-center/abap

SAP Sybase Adaptive Server:

SAP Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise v15.7 SP100

ASE Express Edition for Linux

SAP Sybase IQ:

SAP Sybase IQ 16 Express Edition

SAP Sybase IQ 16, 30-Day Trial Evaluation

SAP Sybase ADS (Advantage Database Server):

http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-35105

SAP Sybase SQL Anywhere:

SAP Sybase SQL Anywhere 16 Developer Edition

SAP NetWeaver Gateway:

SAP NetWeaver ABAP Trial 7.02 SP11 Win 64 bit Version with  SAP NetWeaver Gateway 2.0 SP4 30 day trial, see details at: tinyurl.com/BWoHTrial

PowerBuilder:

PowerBuilder 12.5.2 trial

SAP Event Stream Processor:

30 day evaluation

SAP 3D Visual Enterprise:

SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Viewer SDK 7.1

BI Software:

SAP Lumira 30-Day Trial

SAP Crystal Dashboard Design 2013

SAPUI5:

Evaluation Package for UI Development Toolkit for HTML5

Cloud:

HANA:

Free 30-day SAP HANA Trial

SAP HANA, developer edition (currently SAP HANA Version SPS6, Revision 68) hosted over following could providers: CloudShare, Amazon Web Services, KT ucould biz, SmartCoupt PT

SAP HANA Cloud Developer Edition

SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP 7.4 hosted by SAP could servers

SAP BW Powered by HANA:

SAP NetWeaver BW 7.3 on SAP HANA SP06 with SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 SP07

SAP Mobile Platform:

SAP Mobile Platform Version 2.2 SP2

SAP Sybase Adaptive Server:

SAP Sybase ASE on Amazon AWS Cloud

SAP Mobile Platform:

SAP Mobile Platform 2.2 SP2 Dev Edition

SAP Mobile Platform 2.2 SP2 30 day trial

SAP NetWeaver Process Orchestration:

90 day trial

SAP NetWeaver Gateway:

SAP Netweaver Gateway Service Consumption System

BI Software:

SAP Lumira Cloud Beta

FOR START-UPS / COMPANIES:

There is a program so called PartnerEdge Program which enables companies to maintain relation with SAP. There are following certain areas so called innovation packs in which companies can establish cooperation:

currently: Mobile apps, Integrated apps, Cloud apps, Business Intelligence, Apps for SAP Business One and Big Data

There are several models under which you can establish the relation. For example participation in the program within first year can be even for free. See all the details at sapadpc.com e.g. overview here.

Closing words: as everything within our life’s is being constantly changing also the links provided here may get changed over the time. Therefore always refer to developers.sap.com for the latest changes/updates.

What is SAP ID Service?

Within intensively rise of could computing there is a need to authenticate the users before accessing an could application. Moreover there is a business requirement to have single sign on so users predominantly want to avoid entering login credentials again to web browser while they attempt to access app in the cloud. To fulfill all of these the best option for developer of could app is to use identity management system. By this the cloud based app doesn't need to even administrate the users. By the identity management system another identify provider (IdP) system is used. This can be 3^rd party SAML IdP. SAP has some offering in the field as well. It is SAP NetWeaver single sign-on or SAP ID Service (IDS).

In further I will focus on latter one. IDS is SAP's identity provider in the cloud. It is used by SAP also e.g. to manage an access to SAP web sites like sap.com, SAP Store, SMP or SCN. As default IdP it is used by SAP HANA Cloud Platform (formerly known as neo). Basically what IDS does is to verifying user identity, grant authentication and enable secure single sign-on. User just needs to have maintain his/her profile once (it is so called identity) with one password and with that he/she will be granted to access the app. Once user access particular app which has access is managed by IDS via web browser first it is redirected to IDS service (accounts.sap.com). The IDs then checks weather user is authorized to access the app as per user profile/identity. Once it is authorized web browser is forwarded to particular app.

The SAP ID Service is hosted at accounts.sap.com. It has its own component on SMP as: BC-IAM-IDS SAP ID Service.

For more details see article: SAP Insider Enable Secure Single Sign-On in the Cloud.

Direct Extractor Connection (DXC)

Some time ago I blogged about ODP – Operational Data Provisioning which is API is used for internal connection of SAP Data Services (DS former BODS) to (BW) application extractors (before solely used by BW). There is another similar solution which complements ODP. It is so called Direct Extractor Connection (DXC).

Currently there are following options how to transform data from SAP Business Suite to HANA:

• SAP Data Services (DS)
• SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT)
• Sybase Replication Server

With respect Direct Extractor Connection (DXC) consider following features: It is data provision tool (ETL tool). It is utilizing existing BW data sources. It is not real time solution. There are not possible complex transformations means no extra features or so called simple ETL.

Data provided by DXC is exposed directly to HANA's XS engine. Delta mechanism via data is being transformed is done by HANA's IMDSO (In-Memory DataStore Object) with activation processing. There will be particular datasource having its own IMDSO object sin HANA where the data will be flowing into HANA. You may not be able to change datasource key in standard TA RSA2 or RSA6. Therefore to change enable change of key of datasource you can user ABAP report ROSOA_CHANGE_KEY. The ABAP report comes with SAP note 1677278 - DataSource: Changing the key definition (A version). Load of data to HANA happens similarly as any other BW load. You can use InfoPackage (encapsulated into Process Chain) for that. On HANA side all tables are created: active data, change log, systems table. You need to use these tables in HANA model later.

Prerequisites / availability:

DXC needs at least ECC 6.0

DXC became generally available with HANA SP4

For more details check out following sources:

SAP HANA Direct Extractor Connection Implementation Guide

SAP HANA-Direct Extractor Connection (DXC)-Overview

1710236 - SAP HANA DXC: DataSource Restrictions

1583403 - Direct extractor connection to SAP HANA

1670518 - SAP HANA Direct Extractor Connection: Monitoring

1714852 - Troubleshooting SAP HANA DXC issues

1677278 - DataSource: Changing the key definition (A version)

Using the Direct Extractor Connection (DXC) - video